By: Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press as published by the Winnipeg Free Press
Posted: 12/11/2018

TORONTO – The CBC launched a new video streaming service Tuesday featuring live and on-demand programming for free as well as an option to upgrade to an ad-free premium membership for a monthly fee.

The public broadcaster said CBC Gem has more than 4,000 hours of content and will also offer original programming, including the upcoming drama series “Northern Rescue.” William Baldwin and Kathleen Robertson star in the family drama, which will launch exclusively on CBC Gem in Canada starting March 1.

A screen capture of CBC Gem’s online offerings on Tuesday.
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The CBC also announced a partnership with Wattpad for emerging Canadian writers to create exclusive content for Gem, which gets its title from the nickname CBC uses internally for its logo.

Meanwhile, a partnership with Telefilm Canada allows CBC Gem to offer more than 100 Canadian feature films. All the Canadian films are available ad-free, with additional titles from the National Film Board of Canada to be added in the coming year.